This past Christmas I received a box of the lovely blue vintage tribute Ball jars from my step mom, and ever since then, I've been contemplating what lovely creation to put in them. With Mother's Day approaching and a plan for candle making in the back of mind...I decided to put them to use!

Using the "Winter Holiday Candles" directions in Taproot, Issue 8 :: Reclaim and the very helpful "Essential Oil Blends" article in Taproot, Issue 9 :: Breathe, I set to work!

Side note...If you've never heard of Taproot Magazine, I encourage you to check it out! It is a fabulous ad-free quarterly publication about living fully and digging deeper. The pages of the magazines are filled with thoughtful prose, practical how-to's, and touching stories. This is my third year of having a subscription, and I love it.

I got my soy wax and wicks from Bramble Berry and used a few essential oils and fragrance oils that I had on hand for the scent. For this batch, I used a vanilla, orange, clove blend of oils and with 3 lbs of wax I was able to make 4 candles.

For having never made candles before, I found this project to be a breeze! They are so cute and they smell delightful! It made me want to order a lot more wax and never buy a candle again! I may just do that....

Our moms also loved them! Dan and I both have large families, and with all of the birthdays, holidays, and Christmas gifts, I'm always looking for creative ways to keep our gift expenses at bay. These candles fit the bill and I couldn't be happier with them!

How about you? What kinds of lovely and creative things do you make for gifts?